Newsletter: 16 April 2010

April 16th, 2010

In your boxes this week:

Potatoes

Maple Syrup

Egg Noodles
Eggs

Red-Russian Kale

Baby Lettuces
Baby Spinach

Arugula


The wild swings in temperature have David worried—his fruit trees in particular are blooming way ahead of schedule, which means a late frost (and have they really predicted snow for this weekend?) could devastate his crop. That said, many of the spring crops are also ahead of schedule, which is good news for your quickly-filling produce boxes. We’re seeing the first kale of the season already, for instance: chop it coarsely and sauté it in a very hot pan with a little olive oil and garlic for about three minutes, then splash in a little white wine and sauté another minute or two before seasoning with salt and pepper and serving.




About Arugula

Arugula is a tangy mustard green, also known as Rocket, Rucola, Mediterranean Salad, or Roquette in Europe, also as Gharghir by people in the Middle East. Arugula is now popular as a gourmet salad green. It is very low in calories and is high in vitamins A and C. Its slightly bitter flavor contrasts nicely with sweeter elements in salads and soups. Toss it with a little sea salt and some excellent olive oil for a simple salad.

Arugula Pesto
Stir this into a soup or toss with freshly buttered pasta.

4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
1-1/2 cups packed arugula, chopped

1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Puree the garlic, arugula, and nuts together in a bowl, food processor fitted with a steel blade, or blender. Blend in the oil and cheese, forming a paste.

It’s salad season….

Caper Vinaigrette

One clove minced garlic

1 T fresh parsley

2 T lemon juice

2 T rice vinegar

2 T capers, drained

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp Dijon mustard

1/3-1/2 cup olive oil

Combine in blender until very thoroughly mixed. Makes a tart, acidic dressing. Increasing the amount of olive oil used will change the balance. Chill and serve. Good with raw veggies. Use sparingly on baby lettuces (which will sag if over-dressed) and tame the acidity by adding a little cheese (like feta) to your salad.


Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 C balsamic vinegar

2 tsp honey

1 tsp Dijon mustard

4 tsp cold water

6-8 tsp, olive oil

1/4 tsp each of salt and black pepper
Optional: 1/4 - 1/2 tsp herbs such as dill or basil

Warm vinegar and honey in a pan over medium heat until honey dissolves in vinegar. Add remaining ingredients and whisk well.

Fettucine with Levant-style Tomato Sauce, Spinach, and Manouri

In Italy, salsa pomodoro is typically redolent of fresh basil and garlic; in Greece, the tomato sauces frequently come bearing a more Asiatic hint of cinnamon and parsley, as does the sauce described below. Manouri cheese is sold at the Meadville Market House—you can substitute the Italian Ricotta salata if you cannot find Manouri.

1 pound fettucine

1 large can whole peeled tomatoes
6 cups fresh spinach, carefully rinsed

1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 large cloves garlic Italian parsley
Manouri cheese Salt, Pepper, and Sugar
Extra virgin Olive Oil

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high. While the pan is heating, thinly slice one of the garlic cloves. Add a good drizzle of olive oil to the pan along with the garlic and sauté for about thirty seconds, then add the spinach and immediately toss so the garlic doesn’t burn. Continue tossing the spinach until it is all wilted (probably less than one minute), season with salt and pepper, and then remove the spinach from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more olive oil to the pan. Smash the remaining clove of garlic and add it to the olive oil, mashing the garlic with the back of a spoon and allowing it to flavor the oil for about one minute. Then add the can of tomatoes, breaking up the tomatoes as you add them. Bring the tomatoes to a quick simmer and allow to reduce for about ten minutes, then reduce the heat to very low, add the cinnamon, a small handful of minced parsley, and season with a teaspoon of sugar and some salt and pepper to taste. Drain off any excess water from the wilted spinach, then add the spinach to the sauce and stir to combine.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the fettucine until al dente. Drain the fettucine and then add it directly into the pan with the sauce: toss well to combine. Grate the Manouri generously over each portion (it will crumble as much as it will grate, but don’t worry about that) and garnish with a little extra minced parsley.

Information about the NuWay Farm CSA

David and Lydianne Yoder and their 7 children operate a family farm in Fredonia, PA. An annual subscription to the Nu-Way Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), aims to provide members with fresh, locally-grown organic vegetables each week during the subscription cycle. The ethos of Nu-Way Farm is founded upon a belief in the superiority and healthfulness of locally-grown, organically-produced food. Nu-Way Farm is not a government-certified organic farm (since the produce is not sold “retail,” seeking such certification hasn’t seemed expedient), but subscribers are invited to visit the farm to verify that the produce is raised organically, in an environmentally-sustainable way, and that the animals are treated humanely.

Subscribers to a CSA are like “investors:” at the beginning of each season, we help our farmer come up with the money to purchase seeds and equipment. At harvest time, we share in the bounty that comes out of his labor. But we also share in the risks of farming. Bad growing years are inevitable and a CSA ensures steady incomes for farmers willing to pursue an old and noble calling, one that is still subject to the whims of nature.

Subscription Details

Subscribers receive a weekly half-bushel of produce from the Yoder farm when such produce is available. It must be understood that members receive whatever crops are growing, although David is willing to try and meet the produce needs and desires of CSA members. Occasionally, vegetable surveys are collected from members to help David develop a seed order that is consistent with the most popular produce requests.

Subscribers are asked to agree (on the “honor system”) to subscribe for a full subscription cycle: April 1st- October 31st. If subscribers cannot fulfill the yearly contract, we ask them to find new members to replace them. This ensures a steady, full-time income for the Yoder family farm, which is the CSA’s reason for existence.

David Yoder aims to deliver produce every week, depending on weather and crop conditions. Often the earliest weeks of the subscription cycle are very light—some weeks there may be nothing at all (most farmers in the area are just coming out of hibernation in April, though by that point David’s greenhouses are typically in full swing). During the summer months, on the other hand, the produce is alarmingly prodigious, and those willing to freeze and do home canning tend to get the most out of their subscription.

Deliveries are to 950 Grove St. in Meadville on Friday nights. There is no specific pick up hour: the garage is left open all weekend and subscribers are expected to retrieve their produce within 72 hours of delivery. Suscribers are responsible for picking up their own vegetables from the pick-up location.

Subscribers are also responsible for selling, trading, or donating their share of vegetables on a given week when they are out of town. Subscribers may halt vegetable delivery for a set period of weeks, which allows David to keep unused crops in the ground. However, no refunds are provided to subscribers who do not use their weekly share.

Harvest "Bonus" for Canning or Freezing

In addition to receiving regular weekly allotments of vegetables, David Yoder may at times offer subscribers harvest bonus portions, usually on a “pick your own” basis. In past years, “bonus” crops have included tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, sweet corn and green beans. Subscribers may have to be willing to pick these "extras" when they are ready, or not at all.

Subscription rates
We have set our rates at an amount we believe is appropriate to our region, our income levels, and our expenses. The current rate for subscribers is $500.00 per April 1-October 31st subscription cycle. This rate can be paid in three payments ($167.00 each), two half-year payments ($250.00), or in one lump sum. Checks should be written to “David Yoder” and sent directly to him at the address listed below.

A discounted subscription rate of $350.00/cycle is available to qualified individuals and/or families. To qualify for the discount, you must fit one of the following descriptions:

Senior citizen (individual and/or couple)
Low-income individual and/or family
Full-time student

Nu-Way defines senior citizens as persons over 65 years of age. Low income families are defined as having a gross income less than $30,000/year.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING, PLEASE DROP A LINE HERE IN THE COMMENT SECTION.

Welcome

Welcome to the Meadville Community Supported Agriculture blog, which contains news and information for subscribers (and anyone else interested in local food). Check in here for recipes, farm news, and weekly newsletters. And feel free to toss around local food ideas of your own!